President Donald Trump's nominee for the post of Education secretary, Betsy DeVos, has emerged as the most unpopular and most polarizing cabinet choice. Her nomination is causing a ruckus among senators and their deliberation on the floor, which has no confirmed date set as of press time, is bound to get even more controversial.
How critical is the position of Education secretary? Does it hold much power in government? Is it a matter of national security? With the way senators are addressing her nomination, it's as if DeVos is going to make a big dent in the system. What makes DeVos' nomination highly opposed?
Trump announced DeVos as his pick in November and the president described her as "a brilliant and passionate education advocate," BBC reports. The billionaire Republican, who is married to Amway CEO Dick DeVos, has no background as an educator but she has worked with different organizations by funding education projects and reforms for over 20 years, especially in her hometown of Michigan.
Teachers and educators, labor and rights groups, and even some celebrities, however, have campaigned against her since the nomination. They believe DeVos has done damage to the public school system in her home state when she pushed for charter schools.
They present data citing the schools she supported did not do well on standardized tests and have not delivered a good number of graduates despite flourishing as a business. They believe this will happen in the rest of America should DeVos get confirmed.
During her confirmation hearing, DeVos revealed she was not familiar with many of the functions of the Department of Education, especially when it came to alternative or special needs education and rural schools. New York Times reported the nominee was allegedly not knowledgeable with federal education laws and regulations, and her position could bring a conflict of interest with several investments she made in charter schools in the last two decades.
American Spectator, however, reports there has been a smear campaign against DeVos. Most threatened by her confirmation are the teachers' unions and their allies who are opposed to charter schools because their jobs in public schools might be on the line.
What's your take on DeVos' nomination? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
